Gas
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News
South Korea Continues Nuclear Phase-out
South Korea has announced the permanent closure of another nuclear reactor, as the country continues to phase out thermal power generation and increase the use of renewable resources for electricity. The
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Fuel
Australia, Long a Uranium Champion, Mulls Nuclear Power
An Australian federal inquiry last December recommended partially lifting a nationwide ban on nuclear energy, urging that the government pursue a “goal-oriented” and community-focused strategy as it
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News
India’s Energy Market Overhaul—Infrastructure, Renewables, and Keeping Coal in the Mix
India wants to reform its power generation sector, including upgrades to energy infrastructure, and plans to introduce new technology to make its electricity supply more reliable and resilient. It’s part of
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Carbon Capture
Policy Support for Carbon Capture Critical to Clean Energy Future
Analysis by both the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and International Energy Agency shows that achieving a zero-carbon energy system by 2050 will require large-scale deployment of carbon capture
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IIOT
The POWER Interview: Benefits of a Smarter Grid
The smart grid is transforming the way utilities communicate with their customers. Smart grid technology, including control systems and automation that help new technologies work together, supports a power grid that can respond digitally to quickly changing electricity demand. The smart grid enables electricity producers to enhance reliability, availability, and efficiency. It can provide cost […]
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History
GEH Launches NRC Licensing Process for BWRX-300, an ESBWR-Derived SMR
Marking another major milestone for U.S.-based small modular reactor (SMR) development, GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) said it has formally begun the regulatory licensing process for its BWRX-300, a 300-MW boiling water reactor that it claims could be competitive with natural gas power. The company revealed on Jan. 30 that it submitted the first licensing […]
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Coal
Cementing Coal Power Phaseout, Germany Sets Out to Shutter 40% of Current Generation Mix
Germany’s federal cabinet on Jan. 29 approved a nationwide phaseout of coal power generation by 2038, paving the way for the country, which has already initiated a nuclear phaseout, to rely even more heavily on renewables. The federal cabinet’s approval of the “Reduction and Termination of Coal Power Generation” (Gesetz zur Reduzierung und zur Beendigung der […]
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Connected Plant
Verizon and Honeywell enable utilities to more quickly deploy LTE Smart Meters
BASKING RIDGE, N.J., AND MORRIS PLAINS, N.J., Jan. 29, 2020 — Verizon (NYSE: VZ) has teamed up with Honeywell (NYSE: HON) to help utilities speed up and simplify the deployment of new communication-enabled, intelligent sensors and controls for the smart electric grid. By integrating Verizon’s Managed Connectivity LTE solutions into Honeywell’s next-generation smart meters and […]
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News
Wisconsin Co-op Will Close Coal-Fired Plant
Wisconsin-based Dairyland Power Cooperative on Jan. 23 said it would close its 345-MW coal-fired Genoa Station No. 3 by year-end 2021. The move comes as the La Crosse-based utility continues to phase out coal-fired power generation while it develops a new, $700-million natural gas-fired plant, and ramps up its use of renewable power sources. The […]
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Distributed Energy
The Rise of Distributed Natural Gas Generation
The power sector has increasingly turned to various forms of distributed generation to meet growing power demands over the past several decades. Although solar PV and other renewable technologies receive most of the coverage, they represent only a fraction of the distributed market. Diesel generator sets (gensets) have long been the face of distributed generation. […]
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News
Deal-Making in Power Sector Dragged in 2019
Deal-making in the North American power and utilities sector fell for the third year in a row in 2019, and total deal value shrank by 41% compared to 2018, indicating a sustained sluggish financial interest in the sector, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). The international accounting firm’s newly released “North American Power & Utilities deals insights […]
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News
Coal Is Out as APS Sets Carbon-Free Goal
Arizona Public Service (APS) announced Jan. 22 that it plans for all its power generation to be carbon-free by 2050, and also said it plans to produce nearly half its power from renewable sources by 2030. APS joins other U.S. utilities who have put forth similar goals in recent years. APS, which has been criticized […]
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News
Wisconsin PSC Backs Construction of Gas-Fired Plant
Construction of a $700 million natural gas-fired power plant near the Wisconsin-Minnesota border was authorized by Wisconsin regulators on Jan. 16, over the objections of environmental groups who have said the plant is not needed. Dairyland Power Cooperative and Minnesota Power would jointly own the 625-MW Nemadji Trail Energy Center, which on its current timeline […]
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News
EIA: Renewables Will Surge Past Coal, Nuclear to 22% of U.S. Power Mix in 2021
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) in its first forecast for 2021 suggests the share of renewables in the utility-scale U.S. power generation mix will surge to 22%, up from 17% last year, while coal and nuclear’s shares will be further diminished. According to the agency’s latest Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), released Jan. 14, coal’s […]
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Markets
PJM Stakeholders at Odds on Timing for Next Capacity Auction
PJM Interconnection will not run a base residual auction (BRA) until the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approves recalculated Minimum Offer Price Rule (MOPR) floor prices for new and existing resources as directed by the federal entity’s ground-shaking Dec. 19 capacity market order. But when that will occur is still highly uncertain. In a presentation […]
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News
Deal Announced to Close Louisiana Coal Unit
The Arkansas Public Service Commission has approved a plan to retire the Dolet Hills power plant, a coal-fired unit in Mansfield, Louisiana that serves part of the state. The decision, reached in December and announced Jan. 8 by the Sierra Club, came as part of a settlement agreement in a recently concluded Arkansas rate review, […]
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Gas
Life Time Extension of Gas Turbines Components
Sponsored by:
In this webinar we will cover the typical limiting factors of gas turbine components and how they can be repaired. We will cover the steps used in implementing a life time extension and will show some case studies. Some examples of how new parts are redesigned with features that make them more robust will also be covered.
This webinar will be beneficial to the engineers and power plant personnel involved with the refurbishment and replacement of the gas turbine hot gas path components.
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Gas
Pushing Plant Performance to the Next Level
Sponsored by:
Welcome to the next level of performance and efficiency: The Siemens combined cycle solution merges best-in-class gas turbine technology with industry leading steam turbines. With the development of the HL-class, Siemens continues its leadership in large air-cooled gas turbines by pushing plant efficiencies beyond 63%, with a clear roadmap to even higher values. The focus of the webinar will be the SCC-9000HL power plant for the 60Hz markets, which provide a 1×1 combined cycle power output of ~577 MW. The HL-class is designed for highest operational reliability and flexibility to fulfill the requirements of base load units while also being a perfect fit for flexible applications. This makes the HL-class turbines a versatile solution for operators who anticipate energy systems with a rapidly increasing share of fluctuating production by renewables.
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IIOT
Technology’s Role in Shaping 2020—and Beyond
In the year 2020, the energy sector will continue to undergo major changes. From doubling-down on alternative energy sources—as the world places more importance on sustainability—to the large number of workers retiring in droves, there will be substantial shifts in the way energy companies, including power generators and oil and gas producers, prioritize in the […]
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Water
Water Chemistry: Power Plant Life and Death
Power plants that use steam to generate electricity need water. Without it, they can’t do their job. But water and steam are complicated, much as is blood in our veins and arteries. So, water chemistry is a
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Coal
Electric Power Generation: Coal Is Currently a Vital Component
Over the past decade, there has been a significant change in the U.S. system of power generation in the lower 48 states. The major factors that resulted in these changes were the discovery of new natural gas
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Gas
Why America Must Let Go of Coal and Avoid Renewable Subsidies
The 2019 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP25), held in December in Madrid, Spain, showcased politicians and activists vying for the title of the world’s climate savior. In particular, youth
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News
Equipment Showcase: Diesel and Gas Generators
The need for reliable and resilient power generation, including backup power, means the market for mobile and smaller-scale power generation continues to grow. Commercial and industrial sites are using
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News
10 Power Sector Insights from the IEA’s World Energy Outlook 2019
The International Energy Agency’s (IEA’s) November 2019–released World Energy Outlook 2019 (WEO2019) is studded with interesting findings about emerging trends in the power sector. Here are 10 from the
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News
Obrador Administration Rolling Back Energy Reform in Mexico
The future of energy in Mexico is being shaped by the administration of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who wants state-owned energy companies to have more influence over the country’s power
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News
POWER Digest [January 2020]
Engie Will Close 1 GW of Coal Generation; Adding Solar, Wind. French energy group Engie in mid-December said it will close 1 GW of coal-fired power generation assets in Peru and Chile over the next five years
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Technology
Power Industry Disrupters: Gas, Renewables, and Storage
The power industry is experiencing significant changes. Natural gas, wind, solar, and battery storage seem to be the wave of the future. What’s compelling the transformation? Some people point to
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Commentary
Structural Effects of Climate Change on the Utility Business
Developers and other sellers of electricity have traditionally viewed utilities as creditworthy counterparties. Utilities are longstanding institutions that provide a public service and receive a regulated
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News
Evolution of the Smart Grid at Forefront of Transformative Change
The power industry is in the midst of a shake-up, a revolution in how electricity is generated and distributed. Smart grid technology is changing the way utilities and customers interact, and providing support
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History
Why the 2010s Were a Definitive Decade for Power
Every one of the 13 decades that POWER magazine has been in print has been definitive for electric generation technology, policy, and business in some significant way, but few have been as transformative as the 2010s. The decade opened just as the global economy began to crawl toward recovery from a historically unprecedented downturn that […]